Adults across rural regions of the United States lack access to hearing healthcare. Inadequate services for those with hearing loss further exacerbate the implications of hearing loss including social isolation, loneliness, and cognitive decline. OBJECTIVES: There were two primary objectives of this study....
✦ The floor
Discussion
Signed responses from readers of the wire.
Pharmacy-based OTC hearing aid support programs may expand access in underserved rural areas, but audiologists should monitor whether untrained dispensing leads to unmet medical needs or inappropriate device selection.
As OTC hearing aids expand in the US, non-audiology retail channels are emerging as frontline access points, and understanding the effectiveness of pharmacy-based training programs is important for shaping the future hearing care delivery model.
- 01A structured training program for pharmacy technicians on OTC hearing aids was developed and evaluated.
- 02Target population is rural US communities with limited access to hearing care professionals.
- 03Study assesses both program effectiveness and its impact on patient access to OTC devices.
- 04OTC hearing aids became available in the US in 2022 for adults with mild-to-moderate hearing loss.
- 05Findings may inform policy on extending hearing care through non-traditional channels.
A pharmacy technician training program can improve access to OTC hearing aids in rural communities.
studypartially supportedRural communities in the US face disproportionate barriers to hearing aid access.
studysupported- PMID
- 42918452
- DOI
- 10.1016/j.japh.2026.103562.
- Journal
- Journal of the American Pharmacists Association
- Publication type
- research_article
- Evidence level
- 2b
- Population
- Pharmacy technicians in rural US communities
- Intervention
- Pharmacy technician educational training program on OTC hearing aids
Primary outcomes
Training program effectiveness; Improved patient access to OTC hearing aids in rural settings